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Fails, Food
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When you don’t have any expectations, you can’t get disappointed. But when there’s an advertisem*nt for a delicious meal shoved right up in your face but you get served a big pile of cheap-looking cooking, you can’t help but get angry.
Nobody expects picture-perfect food at restaurants. However, some of these meals are so incomparable to their ads, Bored Panda just had to show you side-by-side examples. Check them out below, upvote the most egregious cuisine lies, and let us know about the times when a restaurant has made you swear like a souped-up version of Gordon Ramsay.
We’re not talking just about fast food here. Restaurants in seemingly good standing are also known to violate the most basic tenet of human relations ever: don’t mess with someone’s food. (Though, come to think of it, can you reallyexpect anything good from places that have pictures of food on their menus? Kidding! Haha! Just kidding! Please don’t hurt me, Picture Menu Restaurant Mafia.)
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#1
My "Cookies And Cream Stuffed French Toast" From Ihop
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Hilary Mol Hilary Mol Community Member Follow
"Mom, check it out - they have Poo Grilled Cheese on the menu!"
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#2
I Ordered Bruschetta From My Local Pizza Shop
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Foxxy (The Original) Foxxy (The Original) Community Member Follow
That monstrosity doesn’t even deserve the name bruschetta.
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#3
Cheese Fries From Buffalo Wild Wings
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Rose the Cook Rose the Cook Community Member Follow
Is the cheese colour natural?
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As I see it, there are two main problems when it comes to sloppy reality being far from the picture-perfect gourmet meals you expect to receive. And they have a lot to do with our expectations. The problems are all about the actual cooking standards and the way food adverts can raise our expectations too high. The first issue is very human: sometimes, the people making your food don’t 'five a guck' about what you’ll get served or they mess up and decide to put the meals out anyway. They might be overworked and burned out. Or they might be lazy and inattentive. The solution here is simple (and incredibly hard at the same time)—the kitchen staff need to find the inner motivation to take pride in their work. Meanwhile, management needs to maintain acceptable standards. If you wouldn’t eat something you make, why would you expect your customer to? It’s better for the food to be late but presentable instead of rushed and disappointing.
#4
This Steak Salad That Looks Nothing Like It's Advertised
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Samantha Lomb Samantha Lomb Community Member Follow
The second looks like when you throw all the leftovers in the fridge together at 2 am because you have the munchies
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#5
This Is So Outrageous
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Erin Presley-Froemke Erin Presley-Froemke Community Member Follow
Jameson and Ginger had been online dating for a while, when the day came where they would finally meet.....
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#6
Subway Pizza
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Rose the Cook Rose the Cook Community Member Follow
Is the base uncooked?
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The second problem, however, is directly related to how things are advertised. What you see on the menus are the ‘perfect’ versions of meals that restaurants want you to see. While some restaurants go for amateur snaps, others go all out and hire professional food stylists to turn grub into glamor shots. Food styling is an art. Pros can end up using a whole array of tools, from tweezers and tape to blowtorches and paint. So when you take so much time and effort to create a work of art, can somebody in the kitchen who is under pressure really deliver something that’s comparable? Sometimes? Yes! Always? Dear Lord, no.
#7
Menu vs. What They Served Me. No, Millennials Didn’t Kill Appleby’s, They Committed Suicide
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Lyra Fortune Lyra Fortune Community Member Follow
The title though! 😂
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#8
Taco Bell’s Grande Stacker Box
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Rose the Cook Rose the Cook Community Member Follow
They forgot the filling.
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#9
Burger King Grill Dog Cheddar And Bacon
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Adam C Adam C Community Member Follow
for one second I thought the sausage was missing.
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#10
Part Of A $3.50 School Lunch. Picture On The Menu And What Was Served
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postboredom postboredom Community Member Follow
School lunch?!?!? Seriously? Those poor kids..
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#11
A Texas Sized Disappointment
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BusLady BusLady Community Member Follow
Apparently, they don't know the meaning of the word BIG.
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#12
The 3 Pieces Of Lettuce Was A Nice Touch I Guess
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Truth Monster Truth Monster Community Member Follow
its a taco which shows you its future
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#13
Dreams Were Dashed At The Airport
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Rose the Cook Rose the Cook Community Member Follow
Weight watchers version.
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#14
Grilled Salmon At The Mall Food Court
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Rose the Cook Rose the Cook Community Member Follow
Looks dried out.
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#15
Expectation vs. 2020
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BusLady BusLady Community Member Follow
Sums up 2020?
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#16
Taco Bell, I Try To Love You, So Why Do You Treat Me This Way??
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Phoebe Bean Phoebe Bean Community Member Follow
Shred Chicken BLur (I hardly see it!!)
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#17
Restaurant’s Charcuterie Board As Advertised vs. What I Got
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Call Me Mars Call Me Mars Community Member Follow
Now you know they have a sponser from Babybel!
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#18
Damn, I Am So Looking Forward To Eating This Delicious Burger With Copious Amounts Of Guacamole, Just As Advertised, And Then- Oh Wait..
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Ray Ceeya (RayCeeYa) Ray Ceeya (RayCeeYa) Community Member Follow
You don't remember the great avocado shortage of 2017?
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#19
Tim Hortons New Fruit Loop Donuts
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BusLady BusLady Community Member Follow
All the other Froot Loops left, because they were ashamed.
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#20
Jack In The Box Tacos
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Samantha Lomb Samantha Lomb Community Member Follow
eww
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#21
Thanks KFC, Totally What I Expected
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Lyra Fortune Lyra Fortune Community Member Follow
Okay but the first pciture is photoshopped af.
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#22
Fungi Toastie From Subway
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Lyra Fortune Lyra Fortune Community Member Follow
Thats not even the same item!
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#23
Arby's Bacon Beef 'N Cheddar
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Phoebe Bean Phoebe Bean Community Member Follow
So... they don´t "have the meats" after all... (as opposed to the Arby´s tv commercials declaring "We have the meats")
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#24
The Tempura Green Beans Looked Delicious On The Menu. I Think They Fell A Smidge Short
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Lyra Fortune Lyra Fortune Community Member Follow
Looks like the grass my dog pooped out
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#25
The Burger I Ordered Tonight
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Jeff Requier Jeff Requier Community Member Follow
They really messed up because the second one isnt even Beef
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#26
I Know It's Airline Food, But Sweet Baby Jesus United Airlines, Why Would You Let Someone Pay $10 For This?...
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BusLady BusLady Community Member Follow
Even the one in the ad doesn't look that great.
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#27
This Is Why You Check Your Food Before You Leave The Restaurant...
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Foxxy (The Original) Foxxy (The Original) Community Member Follow
You want pizza with that sauce.
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#28
So I Bought This New Burger From Burger K!ng...
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Olivia Agave Olivia Agave Community Member Follow
They threatened it with the cheese.
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#29
When Reality Doesn’t Meet Expectations
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RaroaRaroa RaroaRaroa Community Member Follow
Eww. These must all be franchisee run businesses skimping for the biggest profit. I can only assume they live in highly populated areas where they can still survive, even if no one ever goes twice.
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#30
The Pico De Gallo Burger At Whataburger
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Lyra Fortune Lyra Fortune Community Member Follow
Well... what a bugger.
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Note: this post originally had 69 images. It’s been shortened to the top 30 images based on user votes.
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Jonas Grinevičius
Author, BoredPanda staff
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Storytelling, journalism, and art are a core part of who I am. I've been writing and drawing ever since I could walk—there is nothing else I'd rather do. My formal education, however, is focused on politics, philosophy, and economics because I've always been curious about the gap between the ideal and the real.At work, I'm a Senior Writer and I cover a broad range of topics that I'm passionate about: from psychology and changes in work culture to healthy living, relationships, and design.In my spare time, I'm an avid hiker and reader, enjoy writing short stories, and love to doodle.I thrive when I'm outdoors, going on small adventures in nature. However, you can also find me enjoying a big mug of coffee with a good book (or ten) and entertaining friends with fantasy tabletop games and sci-fi movies.
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Jonas Grinevičius
Author, BoredPanda staff
Read more »
Storytelling, journalism, and art are a core part of who I am. I've been writing and drawing ever since I could walk—there is nothing else I'd rather do. My formal education, however, is focused on politics, philosophy, and economics because I've always been curious about the gap between the ideal and the real.At work, I'm a Senior Writer and I cover a broad range of topics that I'm passionate about: from psychology and changes in work culture to healthy living, relationships, and design.In my spare time, I'm an avid hiker and reader, enjoy writing short stories, and love to doodle.I thrive when I'm outdoors, going on small adventures in nature. However, you can also find me enjoying a big mug of coffee with a good book (or ten) and entertaining friends with fantasy tabletop games and sci-fi movies.
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Denis Tymulis
Author, Community member
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Denis is a photo editor at Bored Panda. After getting his bachelor's degree in Multimedia and Computer Design, he tried to succeed in digital design, advertising, and branding.Also, Denis really enjoys sports and loves everything related to board sports and water.
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Denis Tymulis
Author, Community member
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Denis is a photo editor at Bored Panda. After getting his bachelor's degree in Multimedia and Computer Design, he tried to succeed in digital design, advertising, and branding.Also, Denis really enjoys sports and loves everything related to board sports and water.
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What do you think?
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Foxxy (The Original) Foxxy (The Original) Community Member Follow
The problem is that a lot of takeaway joints use props to advertise their food and what is pictured is not actually all food. They make the burgers, pizzas, tacos etc out of numerous things not just food. For example the patties are often undercooked to make them look juicier, the buns are meticulously chosen and sometimes the sesame seeds are glued on. They also use cardboard, pins and special placements to make the foods look bigger and better. Some places even advertise ice creams using mashed potato. Don’t forget the advertisers also use photoshop.
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Becca Gizmo the Squirrel Becca Gizmo the Squirrel Community Member Follow
I think they use elmers glue for mayo.
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Rose the Cook Rose the Cook Community Member Follow
Most of these are from fast food franchises so the product will vary from owner to owner. They all use cheap unskilled labor anyway so it is unrealistic expect quality.
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BusLady BusLady Community Member Follow
Also, the manager may be telling them to use X amount of the ingredients because of pressure from the owners, who want to build their own profits. It will also affect the manager's salary.
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MiniMaus MiniMaus Community Member Follow
Most of these 'what I really got' pictures are also not real. They've been altered to look bad for the sake of the posting. I eat at a few of these places and the food looks good
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Soggy Crumpet Soggy Crumpet Community Member Follow
I was thinking the same thing. Some of the “reality” photos look staged or they altered the order.
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Foxxy (The Original) Foxxy (The Original) Community Member Follow
The problem is that a lot of takeaway joints use props to advertise their food and what is pictured is not actually all food. They make the burgers, pizzas, tacos etc out of numerous things not just food. For example the patties are often undercooked to make them look juicier, the buns are meticulously chosen and sometimes the sesame seeds are glued on. They also use cardboard, pins and special placements to make the foods look bigger and better. Some places even advertise ice creams using mashed potato. Don’t forget the advertisers also use photoshop.
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41points
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Becca Gizmo the Squirrel Becca Gizmo the Squirrel Community Member Follow
I think they use elmers glue for mayo.
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Rose the Cook Rose the Cook Community Member Follow
Most of these are from fast food franchises so the product will vary from owner to owner. They all use cheap unskilled labor anyway so it is unrealistic expect quality.
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BusLady BusLady Community Member Follow
Also, the manager may be telling them to use X amount of the ingredients because of pressure from the owners, who want to build their own profits. It will also affect the manager's salary.
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MiniMaus MiniMaus Community Member Follow
Most of these 'what I really got' pictures are also not real. They've been altered to look bad for the sake of the posting. I eat at a few of these places and the food looks good
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Soggy Crumpet Soggy Crumpet Community Member Follow
I was thinking the same thing. Some of the “reality” photos look staged or they altered the order.
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